Cyrus Shakhalaga Khwa Jirongo, or simply Cyrus Jirongo, was a veteran Kenyan politician who served as Lugari Member of Parliament. Jirongo was born in 1961 in the then Western Province, a few years before Kenya gained its independence from Britain.
He went to the prestigious Mang’u High School between 1978 and 1981.
Besides politics, Cyrus Jirongo was a shrewd businessman with diverse interests.
Jirongo was a household name in the 1990s during the late President Daniel Arap Moi’s rule.
How YK made Jirongo during Moi’s rule
In particular, Cyrus Jirongo was the leader of Youth for KANU ’92 (YK’92), a firebrand movement of youthful politicians that campaigned for Moi’s re-election. This was after Kenya embraced multiparty democracy.
Under YK, Jirongo worked with other ambitious young politicians. The initial group had Joe Kimkung, Fred Kiptanui, Joe Mwangale, Sammy Kogo, and Victor Kebenei.
Also Read: Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo Dies
The five leaders nominated Cyrus Jirongo as chairman, Sam Nyamweya as treasurer, and Gerald Bomett as vice-chair.
Importantly, Kenya’s current President, William Ruto, was part of YK. Ruto and Jirongo would later fall out.
Jirongo was known for his lavish lifestyle during his heyday.
He was elected as Member of Parliament for Lugari Constituency between 1997 and 2002 on a KANU ticket. This was also President Moi’s last election.
Moi, a strongman, exited in 2002, after handing over the KANU button to little-known Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya’s founding President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
However, economist and veteran politician Mwai Kibaki swept KANU out of power, ending Moi’s 24-year rule and dictatorship.
Kibaki was backed by Raila Odinga, whom Moi had jailed for a failed 1982 coup. Raila later became Kenya’s Prime Minister following the disputed 2007 elections, which pitted him against the incumbent, Kibaki.
In the dying minutes of KANU, Moi appointed Jirongo as Minister for Rural Development in 2002.
Politics after KANU
Following the death of KANU, Jirongo sought to carve his own political pathway, having been Moi’s student for years.
He formed the Kenya African Democratic Development Union (KADDU) in 2006, reclaiming the Lugari parliamentary seat from 2007 to 2013.
In 2013, he vied for the Kakamega Senatorial seat but lost to Boni Khalwale.
He later formed the United Democratic Party (UDP) and unsuccessfully vied for the presidency in 2017, managing a paltry 11,000 votes.
Also Read: Cyrus Jirongo: Moi’s Minister Who Became a Billionaire Before Turning 30
In 2022, Jirongo vied for the Kakamega gubernatorial seat but lost to Fernandes Barasa of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Cyrus Jirongo became filthy rich and amassed wealth during Moi’s time. He, however, ran into financial woes and legal battles, including bankruptcy declarations.
Death
Until his death on December 13, 2025, Jirongo maintained a low profile but was warming up to the United Opposition. He died in a road accident along the Nairobi–Nakuru highway.
Family
He was a typical wealthy African man. He was polygamous and had many children.
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